CONFERRING OF LECTOR & ACOLYTE

There will be a bi-lingual Mass, at which Br. Vinod Angadathu George, Sch.P. will receive the Ministry of Acolyte, and Br. Ricardo Rivera Ortiz, Sch.P. will receive the Ministry of Lector. n 1973 Pope Paul VI issued the apostolic letter Ministeria Quaedam, establishing the lay ministries of lector and acolyte which are be given to all candidates for Holy Orders.The ministries are conferred by the Ordinary (the bishop and, in clerical institutes, the major superior) . A lector is a reader, while an acolyte is a person is specially appointed by the Church to assist the deacon and to minister to the priest. His duty is to attend to the service of the altar, to prepare the water and wine, and to assist as needed in the celebration of the Mass. He may also distribute Holy Communion as an auxiliary minister at the Eucharistic liturgy and to the sick. An acolyte may be entrusted with publicly exposing the Blessed Sacrament for adoration but not with giving benediction. He may also, to the extent needed, take care of instructing other faithful who by appointment assist the priest or deacon by carrying the missal, cross, candles, and similar functions. The ministry of acolyte is reserved to men. An interval, determined by the Holy See or the conferences of bishops, is observed between the conferring of the ministries of lector and acolyte whenever more than one ministry is conferred on the same person. Unless they have already done so, candidates for ordination as deacons and priests are to receive the ministries of lector and acolyte and are to exercise them for a suitable time, in order to be better disposed for the future service of the word and of the altar.There is to be an interval of at least six months between the conferral of the ministry of acolyte and the diaconate. Everyone is welcome to attend.